Diffusers for conditioned air

ABSTRACT

A diffuser for conditioned air has interconnected frames, each frame supporting adjustable fin and damper units and separate adjustable fins. Each fin and damper unit has a pair of dampers as one component, a fin as another component, and a pivot. The two components include interfitting portions that enable the dampers and fin to be separately pivoted. One component has pivot-fitting and confining surfaces, at least when the two components are interconnected. The interconnecting portions permit of unit assembly only on relative movement between them in a direction lengthwise of the axis the pivot-confining surfaces define. The frames are formed from mitered lengths of extruded stock having a lengthwise channel with means dividing the channels into spaced, pivot-receiving sockets and with the channels facilitating the interconnection of the mitered ends.

United States Patent 1 Bertin et a1.

1111 3,841,209 [4 1 Oct. 15, 1974 1 DIFFUSERS FOR CONDITIONED AIR [76]Inventors: Mannie Bertin, 47 Lenion Dr., Danbury, Conn. 06810; lra L.Bertin, Box 56, Limington, Maine 04049 [22] Filed: July 30, 1973 [21]Appl. No.: 384,041

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 7/1886 Hayes 98/40 VM11/1966 Belden 98/121 A Primary Examiner-William E. Wayner [5 7 ABSTRACTA diffuser for conditioned air has interconnected frames, each framesupporting adjustable fin and damper units and separate adjustable fins.Each fin and damper unit has a pair of dampers as one component, a finas another component, and a pivot. The two components includeinterfitting portions that enable the dampers and fin to be separatelypivoted. One component has pivot-fitting and confining surfaces, atleast when the two components are interconnected. The interconnectingportions permit of unit assembly only on relative movement between themin a direction lengthwise of the axis the pivot-confining surfacesdefine. The frames are formed from mitered lengths of extruded stockhaving a lengthwise channel with means dividing the channels intospaced. pivotreceiving sockets and with the channels facilitating theinterconnection of the mitered ends.

7 Claims, 13 Drawing Figures PAIENmum 1 5m;

sum 1 or 5 DIFFUSERS FOR CONDITIONED AIR BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTIONConditioned air delivered into an enclosed space must be properlydistributed therein if the wanted effects of the conditioned air are tobe attained.

By way of example, a conditioned air duct extends above a ceiling andhas at least one port opening into a ceiling-supported diffuser.Diffusers have side openings provided with dampers and fins that areindividually adjustable, after installation of the diffusers, to ensurethe most effective distribution of the conditioned air as determined bythe particular conditions presented by the enclosed space.

An air diffuser is shown in US. Pat. No. 3,654,851 that effectivelymeets use requirements. Problems exist, however, in the production ofsuch diffusers on an economical basis. Such diffusers'are pressureplenums and the damper and fin units must be as capable of blocking theescape of conditioned air as they are of controlling the direction andvolume thereof.

THE PRESENT INVENTION The general objective of the invention is toprovide fin, damper and frame-forming members that facilitate theassembly of conditioned air diffusers, particularly those of the typedisclosed in said patent.

In accordance with one important feature of the invention, this generalobjective is attained by providing damper-fin units, each consisting ofa pair of dampers constituting a first component, a fin constituting asecond component, and a pivot common to the fin and dampers. Eachdamper, desirably, is the mirror image of the other damper thus enablingthe dampers to be lengths of an extrusion. Both components havehingeestablishing portions that are so interfitting as to join thecomponents together and to enable each damper and the fin to beindividually pivoted. The portions of one component have arcuate, pivotfitting and confining surfaces and said interfitting portions alsoincluding means so limiting the extent of pivoting that the interfittingportions may be interconnected only by their lengthwise movementrelative to the axis defined by said surfaces.

In one embodiment of the invention the fins include the surfaces thatare of a pivot-fitting and confining radius while in another embodimentof the invention, the dampers have the surfaces that are of apivot-fitting and confining radius.

In accordance with another important feature of the invention, itsgeneral objectives are attained by providing extrusions for use informing the frames of the diffusers, the extrusions having a centralchannel dimensioned to receive the ends of the pivots and by providingmeans confining the pivot ends in predetermined positions spacedlengthwise of the channel. In one embodiment of the invention, thechannel is undercut to confine spacers, one between each two pivots. Inanother embodiment of the invention, the channel is upset at spacedintervals, as by a die, to provide pairs of walls with the walls of eachpair dimensioned to define with the indicated side of the channel,pivotreceiving sockets.

With the undercut channel arcuate, frames can be quickly formed frommitered lengths of the extrusion by forming the mitered ends ofcorresponding frame members with holes located and dimensioned toreceive screws of self-tapping dimensions in a position to be threadedinto the proximate ends of the channels of the other corresponding framemembers.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS In the accompanying drawings,preferred embodiments of the invention are shown and FIG. 1 is aperspective view of ceiling-mounted diffusers as seen from below;

FIG. 2 is a section, on an increase in scale, taken approximately alongthe indicated line 22 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a section taken approximately along the indicated line 33 ofFIG. 1;

FIG; 4 is a section taken approximately along the indicated line 44 ofFIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a partly sectioned view of the interior of an upper framecorner;

FIG. 5A is a section taken approximately along the indicated line 5A-5Aof FIG. 5;

FIG. 6 is a partly sectioned bottom view of a corner portion of theattaching frame;

FIG. 7 is a fragmentary plan view of a frame member having its channelupset to provide sockets for the pivots;

FIG. 8 is a section, on an increase in scale, taken-approximately alongthe indicated line 8-8 of FIG. 7;

FIG. 9 is a fragmentary section of a frame with pivots held in itschannel by spacers;

FIG. 10 is a fragmentary section, on an increase in scale of theinterfitting portions of one of the fin and damper units shown in FIG. 9and taken transversely of such portions;

FIG. 11 is a section, on an increase in scale, taken approximately alongthe indicated line llll of FIG. 9; and

FIG. 12 is a fragmentary view, similar to FIG. 10 illustrating a fin anddamper unit in accordance with another embodiment of the invention.

THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION The diffusers shown in FIG. Iare typically rectangular and have side frames each consisting of top,bottom, and end members generally indicated at 15, 16, and 17,respectively. The end members 17 of the proximate frames are joined bycorner members, generally indicated at 18.

Each of the frame members 15, 16, and 17 is shown as an appropriatelydimensioned length of an extrusion with its ends mitered at an angle of45. The extrusion provides a first or outer wall 19 and supporting andinner walls 20 and 21, respectively, extending in the same directionfrom its margins and at right angles thereto. The extremities of thewalls 20 and 21 are bev eled at an angle of 45 relative to the wall 19and the wall 21 is so much shorter than the wall 20 that a planeinclusive of said bevelled extremities bisects the corner members 18,see FIG. 4.

The wall 20 of each frame member has a central channel 22 extending fromend-to-end thereof and is preferably arcuate in cross section and morethan in extent and is bordered by ribs 23. The channel 22 is betweenundercut channels 24 and 25. The channels of the frame members 15 and 16serve, as will later be more fully disclosed, to support the pivots 26of fin and damper units generally indicated at 27 and of the fins 28 ofwhich there is one between each two units 27. The ribs 23 space the freeends of the fins and dampers out of the plane of the walls 20 of theframe members 15 and 16 and the channels 24 and 25 thereof receivestrips 29 that serve to provide a desired degree of resistance to themovement of the fins and dampers.

The wall 21 has an undercut channel 30 extending from end-to-end of itsouter surface while the inner surface of the wall 19 has an undercutchannel 31 extending from end-to-end thereof closely adjacent the wall21.

Each corner member 18 is an appropriately dimensioned length of anextrusion having, see FIG. 4, a pair of corner defining walls 32disposed at right angles to each other. Each wall 32 has an end wall 33disposed at right angles thereto and terminating in a T-shaped end 34for slidable entry into a channel 30 when two frame end members are tobe joined together.

As shown in FIG. 3, when two diffusers are to be joined together, commonend frames are not needed so that the end members 17 of two frames mustbe interconnected. In that case, their walls 21 abut and are joinedtogether by a spline 35 that is I-shaped in cross section with its endsentrant of the slots 30.

In order that frame members 15, 16, and 17 may be quickly and easilyjoined together to provide the frames, the mitered ends of one pair ofcorresponding members are provided with holes 36, see FIGS. and 5A,extending through the channels 22 and so dimensioned that self-tappingscrews 37 may be entered therein and be self-tapping in the ends of thechannels 22 of the other pair of frame-forming members. The diffusersare completed as a pressure plenum by a ceiling tile 38 supported by thewalls 21, see FIG. 2.

The diffusers are shown as ceiling supported utilizing an attachingframe consisting of members generally indicated at 39 for that purpose.Each frame member 39 is a mitered length of an extrusion of a crosssection, see FIGS. 2 and 6 providing a wall 40 having at its upper endoppositely disposed flanges 41 and 42, each having undercut channels 43in its undersurface to receive keepers 44 by which members 39 of theattaching frame are joined together. The keepers 44 are shown asanchored by upsetting a wall of the channel 43 at spaced intervals as at43A. The lower edge of the wall 40 has an undercut channel 45 enablingthe upper frame members to be connected to the attaching frame bysplines 35 entrant of the channels 45 and the channels 30 in the walls21 of the upper frame members 15 of each diffuser. The frame members 15,16 and 17 may also be similarly interconnected as shown in FIGS. 5 and5A by the use of keepers 44 in the slots 31 with a margin thereof upsetat spaced intervals as at 31A.

Each of the fin and damper units 27 and the fins 28 must-have its pivots26 accurately positioned and, as illustrated by FIGS. 7 and 8, accuratespacing of the pivots is effected by deforming the channels 22 of thewalls of the top and bottom frame members 15 and 16 as by a die toprovide the channels with a series of pairs of transverse walls 46 withthe distance between the pairs of walls determining the wanted distancebetween the pivots 26 and the space between the walls 46 and theincluded sides of the channels defining accurately spaced,pivot-receiving sockets 47. Desirably, the same die that deforms thechannels 22 also forms the holes 36 in the mitered ends of the framemembers 15 and 16.

The accurate spacing of the pivots 26 may also be effected by the use ofspacers 48 of appropriate length, see FIGS. 9 and 11, the spacers 48being of a diameter such that they may be slidably entered in thechannels 22.

The damper fin units 27 consist of a pair of dampers generally indicatedat 49 as one component, a fin generally indicated at 50 as a secondcomponent and a pivot 26. As may best be seen in FIG. 10, each damper 49is a section of an appropriate length of an extrusion providing withhinge-establishing portions, inner and outer concentric walls 51 and 52defining an open ended arcuate slot 53 and a wall 54 at the closed endthereof. The inner wall 51 is of a pivot-fitting radius and of anarcuate extent more than 90 but less than 180 so that when the twodampers are positioned with the walls 51 against the pivot 26 and theirwalls 54 in engagement, the free ends 55 of the walls 51 are spacedapart.

Each damper includes a wing 56 that is so curved that when the twodampers 49 of a unit are positioned as above indicated, their openpositions, their free edges abut but when swung away from each otheruntil they abut the dampers of adjacent units 27, their closed positionshown in dotted lines in FIG. 9, their free edges of each unit are stilldisposed toward each other.

In order that the dampers 49 may be held against their pivot 26, thefins 50 are each an appropriate length of an extrusion providing hingeestablishing portions in the form of arcuate walls 57, shaped anddimensioned so that each is a sliding fit in the appropriate one of theslots 53 and dimensioned to enable the fin 50 and the dampers 49 of aunit to be pivoted relative to one another. As is best seen in FIG. 10,the end of each wall 57 has an inwardly disposed end shoulder 58 and theend 55 of each damper wall portion 51 is'outwardly disposed as ashoulder to cooperate with the shoulders 58 to limit the extent to whichthe fin and dampers of each unit 27 may be pivoted that the units can beassembled or disassembled only on the movement of their componentslengthwise with respect to the pivot axis that the wall 51 define.

Another damper fin unit is generally indicated at 27A in FIG. 12. Theunit 27A includes a pair of dampers 49A, as one component, a fin 50A asa second component, and a pivot 26A identical to the tin, dampers andpivot of the units 27 except for the hinge-establishing portions of thedampers 49A and the fin 50A. In the case of the fins 50A, each is anappropriate length of an extrusion and has a pair of open-ended arcuateslots 60 with their closed ends established by a central web 61 dividedto provide a pair of walls 62 each including an intermediate arcuateportion 63 whose inner surface is of a pivot-fitting radius and with thetwo portions 63 dimensioned to receive and confine the pivot 26A. Thewalls 62 terminate in arcuately disposed ends 64 disposed towards theopen ends of the slots 60.

The hinge-establishing portion of each of the dampers 49A has an arcuatewall 65 dimensioned to slidably enter the appropriate one of the slots60 and enable the dampers 49A and the fin 50A of each unit to bepivoted. Each wall 65 has an arcuate, open-ended slot 66 dimensioned toslidably receive the wall ends 64 which limit the extent to which thedampers 49A may be pivoted towards each other while the web 61 limitsthe extent to which they may be pivoted in the other direction or thefin 50A swung relative thereto. Such limits prevent the dampers and finsfrom being assembled or disassembled except on relative movement withrespect to the pivot axis defined by the pivot-fitting portions 63.

From the foregoing, it will be appreciated that diffusers in accordancewith the invention are well adapted to meet production requirementssince ease and accuracy of assembly is ensured of the fin and damperunits of each frame, and of the interconnection of the frames.

We claim:

1. A damper-fin unit for an air diffuser, said unit comprising a pair ofdampers constituting a first component with each damper the mirror imageof the other, a fin constituting a second component, and a pivot, bothcomponents including hinge-establishing portions that are interfittingto join the components together and to enable each damper and the fin tobe separately pivoted, and with the portions of one component includingarcuate, pivotfitting and confining surfaces, said interfitting portionsof the two components so limiting the extent of the pivoting of thedampers and fins that the components may be joined together only byrelative movement lengthwise of the axis defined by the pivot confiningsurfaces.

2. The damper-fin unit of claim 1 in which portions of the firstcomponent include the pivot-fitting and confining surfaces.

3. The damper-fin unit of claim 1 in which portions of the secondcomponent include the pivot-fitting and confining surfaces.

4. The damper-fin unit of claim 1 in which the hingeestablishingportions of the first component include an arcuate, open-ended slot ineach damper establishing inner and outer walls, the inner walls havingthe pivotreceiving and confining surfaces, the two slots concentric withthe axis said surfaces define and opening in the same direction withtheir open ends spaced apart in the assembled unit and thehinge-establishing portions of the fin including oppositely disposedarcuate walls,

each dimensioned to fit within an appropriate one of the damper slotsand to enable the dampers and the fin to be pivoted relative to oneanother.

5. The damper-fin unit of claim 4 in which the walls of the fin and atleast one wall of each damper slot include spaced shouldersinterengageable to limit the extent to which the dampers and fin may beindependently pivoted.

6. The damper-fin unit of claim 1 in which the tin has, as thehinge-establishing portion of the second component, a pair of arcuate,open-ended slots opening in the same general direction but with theiropen ends spaced apart, the closed ends of said slots being in the formof a web extending in said direction and divided to provide two wallswhich have the pivot-receiving and confining surfaces and which includearcuate end portions concentric with said surface and disposed towardssaid slots, each end portion having an open-ended arcuate slot,establishing inner and outer arcuate walls, and each damper has, as thehinge-establishing portion of the first component, an arcuate wall eachdimensioned and disposed for entry in the appropriate one of the firstnamed fin slots, and each arcuate damper wall having an arcuate slotopening away from the fin slots and dimensioned and disposed to receivethe outer wall of the appropriate end portions of the fin.

7. The damper-fin unit of claim 1 in which the hingeestablishingportions of the two components include means limiting the extent towhich the dampers may be pivoted towards or away from each otherrelative to the fin.

1. A damper-fin unit for an air diffuser, said unit comprising a pair ofdampers constituting a first component with each damper the mirror imageof the other, a fin constituting a second component, and a pivot, bothcomponents including hingeestablishing portions that are interfitting tojoin the components together and to enable each damper and the fin to beseparately pivoted, and with the portions of one component includingarcuate, pivot-fitting and confining surfaces, said interfittingportions of the two components so limiting the extent of the pivoting ofthe dampers and fins that the components may be joined together only byrelative movement lengthwise of the axis defined by the pivot confiningsurfaces.
 2. The damper-fin unit of claim 1 in which portions of thefirst component include the pivot-fitting and confining surfaces.
 3. Thedamper-fin unit of claim 1 in which portions of the second componentincluDe the pivot-fitting and confining surfaces.
 4. The damper-fin unitof claim 1 in which the hinge-establishing portions of the firstcomponent include an arcuate, open-ended slot in each damperestablishing inner and outer walls, the inner walls having thepivot-receiving and confining surfaces, the two slots concentric withthe axis said surfaces define and opening in the same direction withtheir open ends spaced apart in the assembled unit and thehinge-establishing portions of the fin including oppositely disposedarcuate walls, each dimensioned to fit within an appropriate one of thedamper slots and to enable the dampers and the fin to be pivotedrelative to one another.
 5. The damper-fin unit of claim 4 in which thewalls of the fin and at least one wall of each damper slot includespaced shoulders interengageable to limit the extent to which thedampers and fin may be independently pivoted.
 6. The damper-fin unit ofclaim 1 in which the fin has, as the hinge-establishing portion of thesecond component, a pair of arcuate, open-ended slots opening in thesame general direction but with their open ends spaced apart, the closedends of said slots being in the form of a web extending in saiddirection and divided to provide two walls which have thepivot-receiving and confining surfaces and which include arcuate endportions concentric with said surface and disposed towards said slots,each end portion having an open-ended arcuate slot, establishing innerand outer arcuate walls, and each damper has, as the hinge-establishingportion of the first component, an arcuate wall each dimensioned anddisposed for entry in the appropriate one of the first named fin slots,and each arcuate damper wall having an arcuate slot opening away fromthe fin slots and dimensioned and disposed to receive the outer wall ofthe appropriate end portions of the fin.
 7. The damper-fin unit of claim1 in which the hinge-establishing portions of the two components includemeans limiting the extent to which the dampers may be pivoted towards oraway from each other relative to the fin.